One Last Obstacle

Douglas
Lima always had the look of a champion. Now, only one man
stands between him and the gold he has long sought.

On a career-best nine-fight winning streak, Lima will challenge
undefeated
Bellator Fighting Championships welterweight kingpin Ben Askren
for his 170-pound title in the
Bellator 64 main event on Friday at Caesars in Windsor,
Ontario, Canada. The 24-year-old American Top Team Atlanta
representative has already envisioned how the scheduled five-round
scrap will play out.

“I have thought about this fight a million times, over and over in
my head,” Lima told Sherdog.com. “I think about everything. I think
about me stopping his takedown and landing a big right hand and
knocking him out. I think about me catching him with a head kick or
submitting him. I just keep seeing myself getting the win. It
doesn’t really matter how I win this fight as long as I get that
belt wrapped around my waist when it’s all said and done.”

The headliner pits a challenger with frightening knockout power
against a divisional titleholder with a world-class wrestling
pedigree. Askren was a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and
two-time national champion at the University of Missouri before
qualifying to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in China.

“I think Ben is a great competitor,” Lima said. “The guy is tough,
and he has an awesome wrestling background. He is an Olympic
wrestler. He also has really good jiu-jitsu, and his striking is
coming along really good. I expect a really tough fight from him.
I’ve been training really hard for this fight with Ben, so I’m
definitely coming to get that belt.

“I have fought some tough wrestlers before, so I pretty much know
what to expect from him,” he added. “Of course, those guys had a
different style of wrestling than he does, but I feel like I’m
ready for the challenge he’s going to bring. He’s a tough opponent
for me, but I’m a tough opponent for him. I’m improving every day.
I’m improving my striking, my jiu-jitsu, my wrestling -- I’m
improving everything. This is definitely going to be a tough fight
for both of us.”

Ben
Askren File Photo

Askren is 9-0.

Askren has spent countless hours working on his standup game under
four-time world kickboxing champion Duke Roufus at the
Roufusport gym in Milwaukee. Still, Lima (21-4, 3-0 BFC)
expects a steady diet of single- and double-leg takedown attempts,
and he believes he has the ammunition he needs to answer them.

“I don’t think there’s anything secret in this fight,” he said.
“I’m coming out there to knock him out, and he’s coming out there
to take me down. At the same time, I definitely feel like I can
finish him if the fight goes to the ground. Whether I’m on top or
on bottom, I’ve been doing jiu-jitsu for a long time and I feel
like I have a lot of ways I can win this fight.

“I can win this fight on the ground and I can win this fight
standing up, where Ben only has one way he can win,” Lima added.
“I’m going to be comfortable everywhere in this fight.”

Askren (9-0, 6-0 BFC) has been openly complimentary of Lima’s
punching power, which was on full display in the Bellator Season 5
welterweight tournament. There, he flattened Chris
Lozano and Ben
Saunders en route to winning the eight-man draw. It was not an
aberration. Lima has secured more than half (11) of his 21
professional victories by knockout or technical knockout.

“I know I have enough power in my hands to where if I hit Ben I’m
going to hurt him, not just with my hands but with my knees, my
elbows, my kicks -- with everything,” Lima said. “I feel like I
have enough power to knock out anyone in my weight class. I just
have to connect with the right shot.

“I’m going to be looking for the finish in this fight with Ben, no
matter what,” he added. “If I see an opening, I’m going to go for
it. If I see something, I’m not going to care if I get taken down.
I’m going to go for the knockout. I’m going to go for the
submission. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to win this
fight.”

Lima has focused his motivation.

“Becoming the Bellator welterweight world champion is my only goal
in life right now,” he said. “I’ve been training and fighting for
so long, and my ultimate goal has always been to become a world
champion. That’s why I’m here. That’s what I fight for. This is all
I’m ever thinking about. I’ve been training so hard for this
moment. I won’t be denied. I just can’t wait to have that belt
around my waist.

“In this fight with Ben, I’m ready to fight all five rounds if I
have to,” Lima added. “I’m going to come hard, and I’m going to
come ready. He’s going to be in for a real fight. I’m going to
bring it to him. I’m coming into that cage to take that belt from
him.”